AJ Allmendinger wins in thrilling finish at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, NY - AUGUST 10: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Scott Products Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane with champagne after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International on August 10, 2014 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY - AUGUST 10:  AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Scott Products Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane with champagne after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International on August 10, 2014 in Watkins Glen, New York.  (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 10: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Scott Products Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane with champagne after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International on August 10, 2014 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

It took nearly the entire afternoon thanks to three red flags, but AJ Allmendinger won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International Sunday afternoon.   Allmendinger fought door to door with Marcos Ambrose on a final restart with two laps to go, powering by the Australian road course ace on the final lap for the win.

A day that started with a great deal of sadness after Tony Stewart was involved in a sprint car crash that led to a fatality Saturday night forcing him to sit out Sunday’s race, ended with an emotional celebration for AJ Allmendinger who was suspended by NASCAR in 2012 after failing a drug test. He completed NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program later that year, and was reinstated.

Allmendinger was released by Penske Racing after the suspension, he was signed by JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2013.  Sunday’s win was the first Sprint Cup win for Allmendinger and the team.

“My gosh, I can’t believe we won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race,” Allmendinger said in victory lane. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.